Nice work. I'm a sucker for black/rich black, but last time I did it on a CD booklet, the printing was done on germany without my "supervision" and they used a papper that simply ate the 2 blacks as one . What is the rich black you'll be using on this?

The only feeling I have is that the box for the type could be moved a bit to the right... At least I'm tempted to move it a bit.

Will you put a plastic matte on this book cover?

The rich black will be printed 50 40 30 100, the other just 100 K. I had contemplated coating, spoecificly matte uv, buti think this will dimenish the rich black effect. So I am printing on a super smooth coated matte stock.

Hildebrant.

Im guessing everyone else thinks this is the best thing in the world.

I don

My thoughts, which are not what you want to hear (but you did post the pdf) are that you could work a bit more on this challenging your design decisions, such as the box -- for example -- that disrupts the flow of the lines and adds an unnecessary element. Why not a box without the lines -- lines without a box? Is a box necessary? Flush right type? Why? I see only blue and black, why this color combo? Personally, I think typography alone could carry the day for you. Of course it would have to be just the right face, impeccably set. Hope this helps.

Can you tell us more about the client? I live in the Phoenix area, but I'm not familiar with the Scottsdale Dream Center.

To me, the name suggests a place where one would go to find practitioners of holistic medicine/alternate spirituality. If that's what this is, then I think the design is far too hard edged.

I like Tiffany's Idea about the varnish but try this use two varnishes both tinted put white in the matt varnish and black in the gloss varnish. I did this technique years ago for The Dime Savings Bank. It works.

Unfortunately Im limited to 4 color, with an aqueas coating. Ive taken registration precautions (ie: a 1pt 100% k trap around this rich black/black)

My greater concern is, is this 'too much'?
Should I tame it down, and possibly incorporate some imagery??

Im going a completely different direction here, a little cornball I think, but what aer your opinions?

Hildebrant.

sdc_business_directory_2004_cover2.pdf (406.9 k)

Kyle wouldn't that put your image of the man on the back cover? I have an idea you might look into: take the man image with no face blow it up huge and put your title where his facial features would normally be. It could be surreal, like the work of De Chirico.

Well, in this example, it was only the front cover -- the back cover is not shown.
I like the idea of the face bigger. Does this mean that you think this may be amore appropriate direction for the piece?

Hildebrant.

I don't care for the man. (Maybe I'm too concerned with politcal correctness, but the idea of using an image of a white male with a briefcase seems a bit dated.) I think that my gut response would have been slightly different if the businessman was less illustrative, perhaps just a silhouette. It might be striking to have the solid black form of the businessman against a black-on-rich black striped background.

Kyle I like the idea of a surreal faceless man/woman, but not the whole body, but this is just my opinion. One take on Tiffany's idea is make the silhouette aqueas coating and then hit the background with a mat white varnish. The effect is the silhouette is glossy on matte. So basicly you could make it a PMS match, Aqueas Coating and a Matte Tinted Varnish and you have another slot for a 4th color.

Maybe I shoud make this clear, I only have the option of Flood Aqueas & 4/4. No other options.

Tiff: Im not sure I understand what your saying?

Yes, CMYK only. I was hoping to make this bright, and punchy -- thats where that red plays in. That, and its 100 M 100 Y, so it prints quite well, as if it were a solid PMS color.

The biggest problem you might face is in the registration. Even if the registration misses by one dot you will have a colored glow. Yeah, maybe only slight, but that is why I would use a pantone black and then a gloss varnish on top (or of some sort). If then the reg is off with this it won't glare near as much.

The opposing lines/angles is jarring, but this is not necessarily a bad thing for some people.

What about outlines or flat color as a silhouette?

Kyle by 4/4 you do mean CMYK/CMYK, right? Or, can you use 4 spot colors? What if you browned the red up a bit? More redrock looking? --- Also, I'm not so sure my idea of silhouetting or outline the figure is so strong. Hmm. :^/

ah. k. cool. just a suggestion and innocent question.